Professionals Keep It Kinky- Jonna Sharrell

1. Based on your profession and corporate culture, what were your primary concerns about wearing natural hair in the workplace? How did you overcome them?

My primary concern was that my natural hair would be considered unprofessional or be considered "pro-black". Though my company promotes acceptance of cultural diversity, individuals still have their own personal feelings, and I was concerned that it might be a distraction from my job performance. What helped me overcome that was I thought back to a company seminar I attended. One of the VPs is an African-American woman, and her hair was locked - yet that this did not stop anyone from respecting her, listening to her message, and obviously didn't stop her from being recognized for her job performance. I still style my hair more conservatively for work; but I did that even when I was relaxing my hair.

2. How did your co-workers, clients and boss respond when you revealed your new do?

When I did the big chop, I didn't like how I looked with short hair. So I immediately had kinky twists put in. Everyone at work really liked that style. I was surprised how much love I received from my white co-workers. One day I had to go to the Administrator's office to drop off some paperwork, and his secretary (who is white) ran down behind me as I was leaving just to tell me she loved my hair. When it was time to take out the kinky twists, I decided to just wear my hair no matter how short it was. When I got to work, I was nervous about how people would react because they've never seen me with short hair. Everyone loved it; my boss didn't even notice it at first. I was sitting across the desk talking to her for about 5 minutes before she even noticed - which just goes to show that it is not as big of a deal as we tend to think it is.

3. Has your performance been rewarded since you’ve been natural? If not, do you believe your hair has been a factor? Any regrets?

Yes, my work performance has been rewarded. No regrets.

4. What advice would you offer a professional peer who’s on the fence about going natural?

My advice would be to go for it. Find your own "why" for going natural, and be confident in that "why" so that if someone asks you, you can explain it. Every time you explain your "why", it will make you more confident and stronger to deal with any negativity you may come across. If you are concerned about looking unprofessional, find hair styles that you can wear your natural hair in that still fall in line with the culture at your workplace. Also, be sure that your whole look speaks "professional" so that your hair kinda fades into the background; be sure your clothes, jewelry, makeup, etc are on point as it will make your entire look that much better.